EVEREST: PLAYER OR JUST A NUMBER
Redzel was impressive in winning the group 2 Shorts 1100m on Saturday off the back of his Concorde stakes victory a fortnight earlier and will be a major player come 14 October when the final field line up in the $10 million Everest at Randwick.
The grey flash Chautauqua was very good first up closing hard late over the slightly short 1100m but come the big day the others will know he’s there.
In writing an opinion piece it’s no use not having an opinion like some, but remember if you disagree its only my opinion and I could be wrong but there a few horses like in every race that will be just making up the numbers in the Everest.
You would think after Saturday’s race Fell Swoop and English will struggle against the top grade unless something incredible happens.
I wrote last week I thought Brave Smash would be found wanting over the 1200m believing the top drawer will have too much dash for him believing he’d be better suited over a little further.
I have always been against the 3yo fillies Houtzen and She Will Reign taking on the older sprinters.
Redkirk Warrior showed on Saturday he’s a serious horse and on a dry track he must be respected as will his stablemate Vega Magic.
And there’s another spanner in the works, what happens to a few of the slot runners if the heavens open up?
Who will find a leg and who will lose one?
Menari will strut his worth again on Saturday in the Golden Rose and if all goes to plan an announcement will be made next weekend about which slot he has already secured.
Will Spieth be there?
I hear an approach was made but the connections are split if the Everest is the right race for him.
Wow seriously, I think it’s the right race.
I suppose I have to remember we have gotta get a few more horses as the Everest field will be 12 runners and someone will have to fill the slots.
Who else is out there worthy of taking on Redzel, Chautuaqua, Redkirk Warrior and company?
I have gotta give credit to RacingNSW as I like many are talking about the Everest and who’s in and who’s not so at this stage you’d have to say the race is certainly creating a buzz around Sydney racing.
The argument that the same field would line up for $1 million is nothing more than jealously as a million dollar race wouldn’t be leading sports reports on television or having stories being written about it daily and the average bloke at the pub wouldn’t be discussing it.
MATADOR REQUIRED
Did the ‘Bullring’ work on racing.com on Saturday?
I’d say no, it was boring without any flare or dazzle and lacked any real lure to bet.
But as I’ve said before you can’t be critical as they have tried something different and that is what they must continue to do and eventually they will find the key to getting viewers to tune in and then stay.
The idea is ok but the way the wagering landscape works nowadays it doesn’t allow the ‘bullring’ concept to work as the three blokes giving the odds are just spruikers for their respective companies and have no authority.
Will one of the companies realise this and make a change?
In years gone past you could have had Michael Sullivan, Brian Ogilvie, Graeme Sampieri, Colin Tidy, Robbie Waterhouse or Alan Eskander offering a price before the next bookie would trump them and offer a better price enticing punters bet.
Unless Matt Tripp (CrownBet), Cormac Barry (Sportsbet) or the boss of Bet365 take a seat or give the spruikers the authority to go over the top of the price being offered by the bloke sitting to them it will continue to be boring without relevance.
RACING LOST A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
There is debate week in and week out about how does racing attract a younger audience to attend the track or have an interest in racing well I will say again because I said it at the time why didn’t we as a sport embrace Anthony Manton when he was on Married At First Sight.
Forget about all the rubbish you hear or the way the producers of the show made Anthony look a bad bloke cop a tip he is a good race caller and a terrific bloke and a wonderful ambassador for the sport of racing.
When Manton goes to the shops he has people all the time saying hello and asking for a picture.
They aren’t asking because he’s a race caller.
The audience numbers for Married At First Sight are that high racing would need to add up its figures for three months to equal one episode yet for some reason racing powerbrokers wanted to distance themselves from the young man.
The Sunday Telegraph is a huge selling newspaper and they thought it good enough to print a photo of Manton for just grabbing some lunch this weekend.
As I have regularly said if racing wants to attract a newer and younger audience ask them what they want not what you think they want.
I have nothing against Alan Jones he’s a brilliant broadcaster but when he bagged the NRL for securing international music act Macklemore, mind you I didn’t know who they were either but neither Alan (76yrs) or I are their target market.
My kids knew them and have asked to go to the Grand Final just to see them perform.
WHO HAS HAND IN RELATIONSHIP
“I have no hand, no hand at all,” the great man George Costanza said when discussing his current relationship.
“I have no power at all”
With racing.com spending millions of dollars on securing the South Australian racing vision yet during its presentation of the races their wagering partners refuse to promote the product due their disagreement over the “point of consumption tax”.
This has been going on since racing.com started showing South Australian racing and it doesn’t look like the broadcaster has any plans to stop the bookies from ignoring SA.
Who do you think holds the hand in their relationship?
BOLTING TO GONE IN 2 STRIDES
In my time I can’t recall a horse bolting and looking like it would be win by 10 lengths more than Pacodali who started a $2.35 favourite of the Newcastle Cup last Friday but was gone two strides later.
The Darren Weir gelding loomed as they were turning for home and was about to put his opponents to bed but two strides later and he was gasping for oxygen.
Weir finally broke his NSW hoodoo early this year but it’s fair to say his horses fire better in Victoria.
Don’t forget Pacodali beat Melbourne cup winner Almandin the start prior to heading to Newcastle who came out and won at Flemington yesterday in nearly the performance of the year.
Check out the replay below of the Newcastle Cup.